Home > Activity 8-C-1: Year in the Life

Directions:

On the table below, add at least five events or activities you can do during the school year in the right column of the table. Each event or activity should help you address a component of the Achievement Triangle and be appropriate for the time in the school calendar.

Click the Edit tab in the upper-right corner.
Place your cursor in the table cell next to the month and achievement triangle section you want to contribute an event or activity idea to.
Add your text in the cell.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for your remaining event and activity ideas.
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Achievement Triangle Event and Activity Ideas List

Month	Achievement Triangle	Event and Activity Ideas
August	Know Self	Jan: Review readings and writings from this course in preparation for the beginning of the semester; research taking multicultural counseling class in spring term Kristina: Make a list of goals for the school year in the categories of subject matter, student support, parent involvement, staff support, personal care, and school wide functions. Prioritize each category and set realistic and reachable goals for myself. Kristen: Revise my behavior management system to be more proactive about preventing bullying. Devise proper punishments for students using bullying behavior. Get prepared proactively with behavior management before the school year begins so that I can hit the road running when the year starts and be clear with expectations on the first school day.
August	Know Students	Jan: Gather information from students on first day of class, including previous intended major if known, hours completed, psych courses previously taken, colleges previously attended, languages spoken, personal strengths and weaknesses as a student, what teachers do to help them to be successful; create a class world map illustrating countries of origin of students; create class profile that describes class characteristics Kristina: Do community building activities with students during the first week of school (Jenga game in groups, scavenger hunt in groups, "Guess Who" game about teachers) to create a friendly and safe environment. Guide students as they write rules and guidelines for their classroom community. Give students the opportunity to present themselves to the class and me through "All About Me" posters. Faye: Gather information on incoming special education 6th graders, and review their IEP files so that I am familiar with their needs. Meet with incoming 6th grade students and parents during open-house who will be attending my homeroom.
August	Know Practice	Jan: Begin reading book on multicultural counseling by Derald Wing Sue and reviewing texts with non-Eurocentric approach to exploring Human Development Kristen: Get into my classroom and decorate the room with positive statements about acceptance and belonging and accepting differences. The decorations could include posters with students who are from various cultural backgrounds. Faye: Leadership Data Retreat two days in August. Review MCA test scores, evaluate 2011-2012 school goals and develop school goals and strategies for the 2012-2013 school year based on areas that need improvement (parent communication, student safety, academic goals, new programs, etc.
September	Know Self	Jan: Meet with counseling supervisor to discuss feedback on cultural competence in counseling cases and criterion to use Faye: Begin reading Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, & Practice by Geneva Gay. Key components of culturally responsive teaching discussed.
September	Know Students	Jan: Give students assignment to reflect on influences on their own development, including family structure, ethnicity, religion, race, class, ability/disability; share in small groups in class Kristen: Send home a parent/guardian survey during the first week of school. Include questions about native language, which ways the parents/guardians prefer to communicate (email, phone, mail), any strategies teachers have used in the past (or strategies they use at home) to help their children learn, and any concerns they have going into this school year. Faye: Character Building Committee, developing school wide Anti-Bullying kick-off celebration with guest speaker, music, and school wide activity.
September	Know Practice	Jan: Explore obesity epidemic through the lens of contextual theory as a way of understanding different levels of contexts that influence development Faye: Review lesson plans for teaching IEP Knowledge, make adjustments to lessons that were not received well, and replace with student made videos that depict the importance of being involved in one's IEP. Send out parent information letter explaining the importance of IEP Knowledge for their child, and start date of scheduled lessons. Parents will have the option to have their child participate or not.
October	Know Self	Kristen: Assess how the behavior management system is working in my classroom. Reflect on any behaviors that are concerns and think about how to prevent these behaviors from occurring. Make any changes to my behavior management techniques that are necessary to continue the process of preventing bullying.
October	Know Students	Kristina: Discuss as a class how the students are doing with the classroom guidelines and rules. Have students work in small groups to list ways in which they are successfully following the guidelines and ways in which they can improve. Discuss as a whole class if any of the community guidelines and rules need to be changed, amended, or if new guidelines/rules need to be added. In addition, prepare students for their 3 day trip to camp by having them write personal goals they hope to reach while at camp (follow directions, listen to counselors and teachers, try new activities, remain positive, etc.), as well as work in groups to brainstorm class community goals to strive for while at camp (respect classmates, work together, include everyone, etc). Sara: Study and discuss stereotypes, contrasting "typical" French and American. Use lesson as outlined at http://www.assistantsinfrance.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=31075, then show the YouTube video of a Doritos commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ0BD8XeShI and the discuss the stereotypes depicted here. Jan: Offer student workshop for ESL students on navigating the college system; conduct midterm student self-evaluation and give each student written feedback
October	Know Practice	Jan: Begin support group for students with autism (if enough are interested) and/or disabilities in general
November	Know Self	Jan: Present a counseling case during staffing meeting using a multicultural framework for understanding case, including how my own background influences the work
November	Know Students	Jan: Offer workshop on anxiety (various holidays and the end of the semester are looming)
November	Know Practice	Sara: In preparation for our Senior Trip to Québec, study the War of 1812, whose bicentennial is this year, and the war’s impact on the Native Peoples. While the war was good for Canada, because it defined it as a nation separate from England, and it was good for the US, because it unified them as a country before the Civil War, the real losers were the Native Peoples, who had sided with the Canadians in hopes of stopping the Western Expansion and takeover of their lands. Show video explaining the war, and the Native people’s loss. http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/essays/native-perspective/ Faye: Complete report for National Education Association in response to the grant received for IEP Knowledge. Start of the Gift of Giving school wide community service project. Contact area business who are involved in school project to solicit donations. Work with school media and local media to present information regarding service project in a sensitive manner.
December	Know Self	Genevieve: Look back at goals set by yourself and the faculty at the beginning of the year. Assess your performance for the first half of the year. Edit or revise goals with ideas on how to achieve the goals.
December	Know Students	Genevieve: Begin unit on autobiographies that concludes with the students writing their own life stories. Have a "Class History" celebration and allow students to share their life histories with other classmates, teachers and parents.
December	Know Practice	Kristen: Teach students vocabulary terms about various holidays (Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, and possibly others) and read articles about these holidays. Have students reflect on what they have learned through writing activities and classroom discussions.
January	Know Self	Kayla: Ask elderly family members at holiday parties to share their stories of my own culture so that I can have a better understanding of my own culture.
January	Know Students	Kristina: Study the causes, effects, and consequences of bullying in conjunction with No Name Calling Week (http://www.nonamecallingweek.org). Watch the film entitled Bullied: A Student, A School, and a Case that Made History (http://www.tolerance.org/bullied) and talk about students who are targets of bullying because of their sexual orientation, physical appearance, race, religion, etc. Have students create powerpoint presentations that describe the bully-free zone they would create if they were the principal of a middle school, including how actions of bullying would be addressed, consequences for those involved, ways in which to safely report bullying, etc.
January	Know Practice	Laura G: Take some time over the holiday break to compile a list of current events in Spanish speaking countries. As we return to school in January, ease back into the curriculum by asking students what exciting things they did over the break and comparing that with newsworthy, comical, entertainment themed current events from Spanish speaking countries.
February	Know Self	Kayla: Educate myself about Black History Month to better understand it and to help incorporate it into the classroom.
February	Know Students	Kristina: Continue learning about values in religion class, specifically studying the values that Jesus taught about loving one's enemy, treating one's neighbor as you would like to be treated, giving to the poor, etc. Relate the values that Jesus taught to the value of kindness and Random Acts of Kindness Week celebrated in February (http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/). Have students discuss the importance of kindness and ways in which they can show kindness to others. Each student has to come up with a kindness plan in which they choose a way to show kindness to someone they know or a stranger. They must report back to the class what they chose to do and the results of their actions. They can present the information in the form of a poster, essay, poem, video, skit, song, drawing, powerpoint, etc. As a class, the students will brainstorm an activity they can do as an entire class to help either certain individuals or an organization.
February	Know Practice	Sara: Study the poetry and writings of Aimé Césaire (Martinique) and Léopold Sedar Senghor (Senegal) and the introduction of La Negritude, a French literary movement which gave voice to the black populations of France’s then-colonies. Included will be a YouTube video of Senghor speaking about Césaire’s writings when visiting Martinique. References: http://french.about.com/library/bl-negritude.htm, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxWiPPYs9Sg
March	Know Self	Laura G: Reflect on goals that you set about being more open with students. Make sure you are sharing with them and making sure they feel comfortable and appreciated. Make a push to talk casually with students more often this month.
March	Know Students	Genevieve: In preparation for the April field study on the school's Nature Trail, devise group projects on different types of animal habitats in which students are allowed to highlight their strengths. Assign the students a task that you best believe will suit them, and conference with them to explain why you gave the student that task.
March	Know Practice	Sara: (follow-up to February) : Describe the movement of the Muslim faith into France as a result of colonization of Northern Africa, resulting in Muslim being the 2nd most practice faith in France today. Include the French Anti-Veil law; students will collect news articles showing pros and cons of new law.Show and discuss scenes from “Les Indigènes” (“Days of Glory”), a 2003 film whose production resulted in Algerian WWII veterans (Muslims) finally receiving the same pension benefits as French veterans. References: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/world/europe/12france.html http://debates.juggle.com/is-the-french-ban-on-muslim-veils-in-public-buildings-justified
April	Know Self	Kayla: Look back to see how you have incorporated culture into your lessons throughout the schoolyear. Check if there is anything you else you can do to embrace cultures in the classroom and in your own life. Make yourself more aware of the differnent cultures around you and go to an activity that embraces a culture different from yours.
April	Know Students	Kristen: Have students write a narrative essay about the three most important moments in their life. Students will explain these events using descriptive details.
April	Know Practice	Sara (continuation of French colonization) study: Discuss discrimination against blacks, as displayed in Hergé’s original “Tin-tin in Congo” comic, which he later corrected. Continue study of popularity of Tin-tin throughout France’s occupation by Nazi Germany, and Hergé’s stories’ adaptations throughout the war. Reference: http://suite101.com/article/cultural-stereotyping-in-tintin-in-the-congo-a140965 , www.pbs.org/pov/tintinandi/video_classroom1.php Show movie Adventures of Tin-tin, by Spielberg
May	Know Self	Kayla: Research Cinco de Mayo history and get to know the culture. Think of how you can incorporate celebrations into the classroom.
May	Know Students	Laura G: Students tend to get a little stir-crazy come May. It is the end of the year and they are feeling the pressure from end of the year projects, nerves of moving to high school and wanting to be free. Be conscious of this and plan a little relief. Present a lesson outside in the grass on a breezy, sunny day.
May	Know Practice	Kayla: Have the students research the holiday Cinco de Mayo. When they are done their research, have the students make presentations on the history of Cinco de Mayo and the different activities involved with it.
June	Know Self	Kayla: See that you met all goals that were established in the beginning of the school year, and see what goals need to be set for the next school year. See how you can improve for next year.
June	Know Students	Genevieve: Compile summer reading lists for the students, with indivudual suggestions that are appropriate for the students' reading levels and interests. Host an event at the local library to familiarize the students and their families with the location.
June	Know Practice	Laura G: At the end of the year set up a meeting with the other level 1 teachers. Share things that worked really well and ask for advice on instruction in areas that students seemed to struggle. Trade ideas and resources that can be worked on over the summer break.
July	Know Self	Kayla: Take a cultural diversity professional development class to become more culturally competent.
July	Know Students	Genevieve: Write letters and send to each of the students who will be in your class this coming school year. Include personal information about yourself to put the students at ease. Ask them to bring in a favorite object on the first day of school that will tell their new classmates all about them.
July	Know Practice	Laura G: Sign up for a professional development summer academy in an area related to cultural competence or differentiated instruction. Take at least 3 things from the academy that you can implement into your classroom in the coming school year.